Lamp housing assembly

ABSTRACT

1. AN ELECTRICAL LAMP HOUSING COMPRISING A TUBULAR BODY HAVING A LENS PART AT ONE END AND BEING DIVIDED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BODY INTO TWO BODY PARTS, THE BODY PARTS HAVING LATCH MEANS FOR SECURING THEM TOGETHER IN ASSEMBLED RELATIONSHIP TO FORM THE BODY AND BEING IDENTICAL, THE LATCH MEANS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED ARM AND SLOT ON EACH BODY PART FOR COOPERATING WITH A CORRESPONDING SLOT AND ARM RESPECTIVELY ON THE OTHER BODY PART, THE LENS PART HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPENING FOR RECEIVING END PORTIONS OF THE BODY PARTS AND BEING DETACHABLY SECURABLE THERETO TO ASSIST THE LATCH MEANS IN RETAINING THE BODY PARTS IN THEIR ASSEMBLED RELATIONSHIP.

United States Patent 1 Plana LAMP HOUSING ASSEMBLY [75] Inventor: Roberto Plana, Barcelona, Spain [73] Assignee: AMP Incorporated, Harrisburgh,

Pa, v V V V a [22] Filed: Aug. 11, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 170,800

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 24, 1970 Spain 161829 [52] US. Cl 240/151, 240/8.l6, 340/381 [51] Int. Cl F2lv 17/00, F2lv 21/00 [58] Field of Search 240/7.l R, 8.14, 41.55, 240/8.l6, 151; 220/4 E; 340/381 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,980,791 4/1961 Schumacher 240/8.14

2,812,423 11/1957 Penna 240/41.55 X 3,007,599 -1l/1961 Greasley 240/8.16 X 3,257,023 6/1966 Braverman 220/4 E 3,286,255 ll/l966 Sanchez 250/151 X 2,899,097 8/1959 Haskens 220/4 E 3,115,308 12/1963 Stark 240/8.l6

3,220,001 1l/l965 Hallerberg 240/151 X 1,978,934 10/1934 Douglas 340/381 X Primary ExaminerDonald O. Woodiel Assistant ExaminerDaniel M. Yasich Attorney, Agent, or Firm William J. Keating; Frederick W. Raring; Jay L. Seitchik [5 7 ABSTRACT An electric lamp housing comprising a tubular body having a lens part at one end and being divided longitudinally of the body into two body parts, the body parts having latch means for securing them tighter in assembled relationship to form the body and being identical, the lens part having an opening for receiving end portions of thebody parts and being detachably securable thereto to assist the latch means in retaining the body parts in their assembled relationship.

3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTE 115V 1 9l974 3 849,641

SHEET 20F 3 PATENTEL mv 1 91914 3, 849,641

sum 30F .5

wji i m LAMP HOUSING ASSEMBLY According to the present invention, an electric lamp housing comprises a tubular body having a lens part at one end and being divided longitudinally of the body into two body parts, the body parts having latch means for securing them together in assembled relationship to form the body and being identical, the lens part having an opening for receiving end portions of the body parts and being detachably securable thereto to assist the latch means in retaining the body parts in their assembled relationship.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric lamp and housing assembly;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of two body parts of the housing with an electric lamp bulb, a resistor, and electrical terminals mounted therein;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of one end of the housing;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the other body part of the housing;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the part shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of the part shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a section taken on the line VII-VII in FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate two forms of aperture in a panel in which the assembly can be mounted.

As shown in FIG. 1, a lamp housing of electrically insulating material comprises two identical moulded housing body parts 2 and a lens part 3 secured to one end of the housing body. At the other end of the body are two electrical tab terminals 4 which are best seen in FIG. 2. The body parts 2 of the housing 1 are secured together by means of the lens part 3, and by latch means in the form of a head 5a of a resilient arm 5 (best seen in FIGS. 2, 5, 6 and 7) of each body part 2 which engages in a slot 6 of the other body part 2. Each body part 2 has two resilient, substantially rectangular wings 7 or stop members which extend substantially parallel to another and in the same direction from diametrically opposed positions on the upper (as seen in FIG. 1) portion of the body part 2 which portion is of circular cross-section and tangentially of which the wings 7 extend.

As shown in FIG. 2, one of the parts 2 contains an electric lamp bulb 8 and a resistor 9. Each terminal 4 is U-shaped and has a tab portion 4a for mating with an electrical receptacle (not shown) on an electrical supply lead (not shown), a bight portion 4b positioned in a slot defined by the parts 2 to locate the terminal in the housing and a ferrule portion 4c. One of the portions 4c is crimped to one lead of the bulb 8, the other portion 4c being connected to one lead of the resistor 9, the other lead of the bulb 8 and of resistor 9 being directly connected together, e.g. by soldering or by a crimping ferrule (not shown). The resistor 9 is thus connected in series with the bulb 8.

A base portion 2' of each body part 2 is formed with two rectangular projections 10 which engage in complementary holes 11 in the base portion of the other body part 2 when the body parts are assembled, relatively to locate the two body parts, with the assistance of a longitudinal rib 12 on a side wall of each body part 2 which engages in a complementary groove 13 in the opposite side wall of the other body part 2. The relative location of the body part 2 is further assisted by the engagement of projections 10 in the holes 11' at the opposite end of the body to the projections 10 and holes 11.

The resistor 9 is held in position in the housing between two longitudinal ribs 14, one extending from each base portion 2' and a transverse rib 15 of each body part 2, the ribs 15 serving to grip between their ends the leads of the bulb 8.

The end of each body part 2 remote from the base portion 2 is formed with two diametrically opposed lugs 16, each of the lugs 16 of one body part lying adjacent to one of the lugs 16 of the other body part in the assembled condition of the two body parts 2, as will be apparent from FIG. 3, so that each pair of adjacent lugs 16 forms a circumferential boss 17. As shown in FIG. 3, the lens part 3 (which is preferably moulded from polystyrene, acrylate or a cellulose derivative) is formed with two internal recesses 18 which co-operate with the bosses 17 to provide a snap action joint for securing the lens part 3 to the housing body and for securing the body parts 2 together in assembled relationship in co-operation with the arms 5 and slots 6.

To produce the lamp and housing assembly shown in FIG. 1, the appropriate leads of the bulb 8 and resistor 9 are connected together and their remaining leads are connected to the portions 40 of the terminals 4. The bulb 8, resistor 9 and terminals 4 are then positioned in one of the body parts 2, as shown in FIG. 2, and the other body part 2 is then mated with the one body part and secured thereto by engagement of the heads 5a of the arm 5 in the slots 6. The recesses 18 of the lens part 3 and the bosses 17 are then engaged with a snap action to complete the assembly.

The assembly shown in FIG. 1 can be mounted on a panel, e.g. an automobile dash panel, either from the front of the panel in a circular hole as shown in FIG. 8a, or from behind the panel in a hole with recesses 20, as shown in FIG. 8b.

For mounting the assembly from the front of the panel the complete assembly with lens part 3 in position is pushed through the circular hole (FIG. 8a) which has a diameter which is slightly less than the external diameter of the lens part 3, with the base portion 2' leading. As the assembly is pushed into the hole the wings 7 are deflected inwardly by engagement with the edge of the hole until they have passed through the hole, whereupon the wings resume their normal shape by reason of their own resilience. Axial movement of the assembly relative to the panel is limited on the one hand by the engagement of the lens part 3 with the front of the panel, and on the other hand by the engagement of the forward edges 19 (FIG. 1) of the wings 7 with the rear surface of the panel.

For mounting the assembly from behind the panel the lens part 3 is removed and the torward end of the assembly passed through a hole, as shown in FIG. 8b, in the panel, the recesses 20 of the hole receiving the bosses 17 of the assembly. The lens part 3 is then snapped into position so that the panel is gripped between the lens part 3 and the forward edges 19 of the wings 7.

The outer peripheral shape of the lens part 3 may be other than circular as described above, being for example square.

For some applications the resistor 9 may not be required, in which case the leads of the bulb 8 can be directly connected to the terminals 4.

The terminals 4 may be dispensed with, and supply leads directly connected to the leads of the bulb 8, or to the bulb 8 and the resistor 9, if the resistor is included in the assembly.

Since the body parts 2 are identical, the housing, including the lens part 3, can be produced by the use of only two moulding dies, for example injection moulding dies.

I claim:

1. An electrical lamp housing comprising a tubular body having a lens part at one end and being divided longitudinally of the body into two body parts, the body parts having latch means for securing them together in assembled relationship to form the body and being identical, the latch means comprising an elongated arm and slot on each body part for cooperating with a corresponding slot and arm respectively on the other body part, the lens part having at least one opening for receiving end portions of the body parts and being detachably securable thereto to assist the latch means in retaining the body parts in their assembled relationship.

2. A housing according to claim 1, in which said end portions of the body parts have lugs which co-operate in the assembled condition of the body parts to provide peripherally extending bosses for engagement in the openings in the lens part, with a snap action.

3. A housing according to claim 1, in which the lens part co-operates with resilient stop members projecting from the body portions to retain the housing in a hole in a support for the housing. 

